Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Guatemala

Name: Guatemala
Address: GT

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,276 a month against $1,352 in Guatemala, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala
Learn more

Guatemala Living Index

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🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,276

/mo nomad

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in Guatemala

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico and in Guatemala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,276 in Mexico versus $1,352 in Guatemala.

Mexico $1,276
Guatemala $1,352

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,023 in Mexico versus $2,108 in Guatemala.

Mexico $2,023
Guatemala $2,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,770 in Mexico versus $2,865 in Guatemala.

Mexico $2,770
Guatemala $2,865

Living in Mexico costs about 6% less than in Guatemala on average.

Mexico (5% below) and Guatemala (0% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 MX$202

$7.87 Q 60.1

38.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.51 MX$822

$49.36 Q 377

-9.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$170

$8.09 Q 61.9

13.84%

Cappuccino

$3.55 MX$65.6

$3.60 Q 27.55

-1.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 MX$26.34

$1.37 Q 10.47

4.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.83

$1.15 Q 8.83

-6.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 MX$50.4

$3.29 Q 25.14

-17.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$5.36 Q 41.00

-17.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$2.04 Q 15.63

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$3.29 Q 25.12

-16.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.76

$2.06 Q 15.77

-16.50%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.55

$2.46 Q 18.83

4.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 MX$173

$5.98 Q 45.76

56.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$150

$9.92 Q 75.9

-18.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 MX$215

$12.39 Q 94.7

-6.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MX$54.3

$4.14 Q 31.65

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.95

$1.96 Q 14.98

-17.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.41

$4.37 Q 33.43

-52.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.21

$1.66 Q 12.72

15.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.22

$1.84 Q 14.08

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.86

$2.15 Q 16.47

-4.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.69

$0.82 Q 6.24

75.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.33

$1.21 Q 9.23

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$85.7

$4.01 Q 30.65

15.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 MX$199

$8.34 Q 63.7

29.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$33.08

$2.33 Q 17.81

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 MX$61.5

$3.11 Q 23.79

7.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$1.98 Q 15.16

-68.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 MX$500

$14.19 Q 109

90.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$5.17 Q 39.53

-46.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$1.72 Q 13.18

60.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.03 MX$204

$10.66 Q 81.5

3.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.33 Q 10.16

10.53%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.8K MX$384.4K

$21.4K Q 163.3K

-2.61%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.2K MX$446.9K

$24.6K Q 188.1K

-1.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$69.1 MX$1,278

$71.0 Q 543

-2.62%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.20 MX$429

$31.74 Q 243

-26.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 MX$535

$51.3 Q 392

-43.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 MX$680

$41.40 Q 317

-11.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 MX$336

$15.49 Q 118

17.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$6.60 Q 50.5

-19.85%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$264 MX$4,887

$356 Q 2,722

-25.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,272 MX$115.9K

$7,545 Q 57.7K

-16.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$1,050

$47.46 Q 363

19.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.50 MX$767

$49.39 Q 378

-15.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 MX$1,828

$106 Q 811

-6.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,654

$106 Q 812

-15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$714 MX$13.2K

$834 Q 6,378

-14.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MX$8,674

$504 Q 3,851

-6.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 MX$24.5K

$1,578 Q 12.1K

-16.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$903 Q 6,903

-0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,553 MX$47.2K

$2,306 Q 17.6K

10.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 MX$27.1K

$1,122 Q 8,581

30.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$768 MX$14.2K

$641 Q 4,899

19.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.44

11.62

-1.55%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico: October 10, 2026

Last update for Guatemala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$469 36.8%

Guatemala

$504 37.3% 7.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$273 21.4%

Guatemala

$297 21.9% 8.7% $24

Eating Out

Mexico

$190 14.9%

Guatemala

$168 12.4% 11.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$129 10.1%

Guatemala

$139 10.3% 7.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$121 9.5%

Guatemala

$154 11.4% 27% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$47 3.7%

Guatemala

$55 4% 15.2% $7.2

Getting Around

Mexico

$46 3.6%

Guatemala

$36 2.7% 22.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $617 in Mexico, $174 in Guatemala. Capital cities: $1,051 in Mexico City vs $828 in Guatemala City.

National salary averages: $735 in Mexico, $745 in Guatemala. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 255% higher in Mexico.

Public transport is 1100% more expensive in Mexico.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇬🇹 Guatemala

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

Same time as Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

17,263,239

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico Guatemala 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
Guatemala

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico vs Guatemala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,352 per month in Guatemala and $1,276 in Mexico, there's a 6% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Mexico is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In Mexico, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Guatemala it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Mexico wins on affordability; Guatemala may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.